Lang Richert & Patch Leads Central Valley Law Firms in Growing Green.

It started with a simple decision to switch from buying bottled water to installing a filtered water system. Today Lang, Richert and Patch has adopted a series of environmentally friendly policies that led it to become the first private law firm based in the Central Valley to be recognized by the ABA as a Partner in their Climate Challenge program.

“We have learned that going green today can mean saving green” said partner, Robert Patch II.  Lang, Richert and Patch has shown that you can reduce your carbon footprint without installing costly solar roofing shingles and wind turbines. Implementing greener paper management protocols and reducing energy-use are two economical ways to go-green.

Paper Management
Given the paper-intensive nature of practicing law, Lang, Richert & Patch has focused on adopting greener paper management. “Along with recycling over ninety percent of our mixed waste paper, we have adopted a policy to only use paper products that are made with at least 30% recycled content. We also encourage employees to print all internal documents double sided to reduce paper consumption,” said Rene Lastreto, a partner of Lang, Richert and Patch. By embracing green practices, Lang, Richert & Patch is making a commitment to lead the Central Valley as a steward of the environment and hopes that other law firms and other businesses will follow suit.

Reducing Energy Use
Small businesses pay more for energy than big businesses, and adopting green practices can dramatically reduce energy costs. Simple things like replacing traditional light bulbs, regularly servicing heating and air conditioning, or installing motion sensor lights can cut energy bills by 20% to 30%. Replacing office equipment? Make sure to get Energy Star compliant models with “sleep mode” to reduce energy when not in use. Green policies don’t have to be complex or burdensome. To get the attorneys and staff in your office to become more environmentally conscious, start with something simple: turn off the lights when you leave. This includes when you leave for lunch – a novel concept that eliminates hundreds of hours of unnecessary energy consumption every week.

Lang, Richert and Patch has already seen the intangible benefits of going green. For one it breeds loyalty. “Our employees appreciate our efforts – they want to work for companies who are socially responsible,” said Mr. Patch. The firm has also found greenness is a valuable tool for recruiting young, talented attorneys who have made it clear that environmental consciousness is a factor in their decision making. “In order to get the best and brightest recruits, we have to keep pace with the eco-friendly firms in the Bay Area and Los Angeles” said Mr. Patch. Moreover, sophisticated clients and large corporate clients, who already have green policies, expect their outside counsel to adopt environmentally friendly practices. Like their corporate clients, Lang, Richert and Patch is discovering that taking steps that are good for the environment can also be good for the bottom line.

It won’t be long before we will all drive to work in an energy efficient car, enter our environmentally-friendly “LEED”certified building, and transact business in a paperless environment. In the meantime, Central Valley law firms and other businesses should follow the leadership of Lang, Richert and Patch and implement environmentally friendly policies that can help business and save money.

Ana de Alba Joins Newly Formed State Bar Committee

Ana de Alba has joined the newly formed State Bar of California Pro Bono Coordinating Committee (“PBCC”). PBCC is a joint project of the California Commission on Access to Justice and the State Bar Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services. PBCC’s mission is to encourage, facilitate, and coordinate pro bono efforts throughout the state by: developing and maintaining communications between PBCC and other pro bono related entities; providing a forum for identifying gaps in, and barriers to, pro bono participation; creating informational, advisory, and/or working groups on pro bono issues and projects as necessary; and coordinating and advising on the State Bar’s pro bono efforts.

Victoria Salisch Receives CalChamber Small Business Advocate of the Year Award

The California Chamber of Commerce honored five small business executives yesterday with its “2009 Small Business Advocate of the Year” award, recognizing recipients for their advocacy efforts on behalf of small businesses.

The CalChamber presented the awards at a luncheon before more than 400 attendees at the CalChamber Business Summit in Sacramento.

2009 Small Business Advocate of the Year Award recipients are:
• Victoria Salisch, Partner, Lang, Richert & Patch, Attorneys at Law, Fresno
• Lou Monville, Vice President, O’Reilly Public Relations, Riverside
• Dave Penry, Owner, Pacific Landscapes, Santa Rosa
• Cynthia Schneider, Senior Vice President, American Security Bank, Corona
• Mark Waronek, Owner, Waronek and Associates, Torrance

Honorees are nominated by local chambers and selected by a task force comprised of members of the CalChamber Small Business Committee and the Local Chamber Advisory Council. The criteria used in the selection process include taking leadership roles in or working on federal, state or local ballot measures, testifying before the state Legislature and representing a local chamber of commerce before local government.

Victoria Salisch, Partner, Lang, Richert & Patch, Attorneys at Law, Fresno

Al Smith, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce, nominated Victoria Salisch, saying, “Victoria has proven to be a valuable asset for the Chamber and a strong representative for the business community. She has always taken an active role in leading on issues that are important to the business community, our region and the state.”
Salisch has served on the chamber’s board of directors, the government affairs council, the government outreach committee and the downtown revitalization committee. In 2008, Salisch served as chair of the chamber’s political action committee. She helped the PAC make endorsements in several key races: mayor, city council, school board and state Assembly. Salisch also has taken a lead role in the chamber’s effort to convince the city and county to consolidate public safety services. Since 2005, Salisch has served on committees that have examined how the city and county can keep public safety costs under control merging some functions. She serves on the Joint Powers Authority — a governance model selected by city and county officials to help move the consolidation forward. She also has spent time in Sacramento helping the Greater Fresno Chamber take an active role in legislation by testifying before policy committees, writing letters to the editor and sending letters to legislators.

Lou Monville, Vice President, O’Reilly Public Relations, Riverside

Cindy Roth, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce, nominated Monville, saying, “Individuals such as Lou Monville do not simply serve on committees or task forces when an issue arises, nor is his commitment to serving businesses and his community simply an admirable demonstration of volunteerism. It is truly his passion. Our chamber has turned to Mr. Monville time and again for his unyielding leadership and support of initiatives and legislation that keeps jobs in our region.”

Monville has become the chamber’s leading advocate for business-friendly legislation and initiatives as chairman of the governmental affairs council. In that position, he became the leading force in modernizing how the chamber gets involved in the political process and initiated the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Political Action Committee (GRCCPAC). As chairman of the GRCCPAC, he and the committee endorsed pro-job candidates, helping an entire delegation win the 2008 general election. His advocacy efforts, as well as his dedication to strengthening California’s future workforce have led him to become the first Inland Empire resident to be appointed to a position on the California State University Board of Trustees. Monville also serves on the boards of several business and community associations, including the President’s Advancement Council at California State University, San Bernardino, and the California Inland Empire Council Boy Scouts of America. As a past chairman of the Greater Riverside Chambers, and present vice president of O’Reilly Public Relations, Monville provides public affairs council to businesses and public agencies and is continuously at the pulse of uses that affect the local economy.

Dave Penry, Owner, Pacific Landscapes, Santa Rosa

Dave Penry was nominated by Christopher Lynch, executive vice president of the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce. In a letter, Mari Featherstone, 2009 chair of the Santa Rosa Board of Directors, commended Penry for “representing what is best about small business leadership in our area: tireless advocacy for sensible business and demonstration that a company that cares about its employees and the environment can be successful and profitable.”

Penry has been an outstanding active advocate on immigration issues at the federal level, water conservation at the state level and community business issues at the local level. In his nine years as a member of the Santa Rosa Chamber, Penry has been active on the Santa Rosa Chamber Advocacy Council and its Environmental Resources Committee. He gained national attention as one of the TV spokespersons for the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition, which lobbied with the U.S. Chamber on immigration reform. Penry worked closely with the George W. Bush administration on those efforts and lobbied members of Congress as well. Penry is also a past president of the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA), and created the Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper training program, which was the second such program to be nationally recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Pacifica Landscapes won the 2008 Sonoma County Business Environmental Alliance Best Practices award and has been named one of the best places to work in the North Bay for the last three years straight.

Cynthia Schneider, Senior Vice President, American Security Bank, Corona

Cynthia Schneider was nominated by Bobby Spiegel, president and chief executive officer of the Corona Chamber of Commerce. Spiegel said of Schneider, “It is clear that Cynthia’s dedication to effectively representing the interest of Corona businesses at all levels of government has helped bring the return that our Chamber’s members demand on their investment in our chamber. She is a leading example for all business leaders who want to make a lasting impact.”

Schneider, who has been called a “visionary business leader,” serves as the chair of the Corona Chamber’s Legislative Action Committee (LAC). In 2006, while chair of the board of directors, she convinced the board to make an unprecedented investment in representing the interests of the Corona business community at all levels of government. As a result, Corona has built a results-driven business advocacy effort. Schneider has helped to activate the Corona membership on the top 100 most important state legislative proposals. She has helped to educate her members by e-mailing “Call to Action” campaigns and as a result, been able to secure hundreds of letters from the business community on each issue. She also assembles an annual vote record to help hold Corona’s state representatives accountable to the business community.

Mark Waronek, Owner, Waronek and Associates, Torrance

Toni Buck, Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce Board chair, and Dan Keeton, Torrance chairman-elect, co-nominated Mark Waronek, calling him “the journeyman advocate. We’re glad to have the likes of Mark Waronek on our team. We know we can count on him to provide insight, advice and hands-on effort in moving forward with our entire advocacy endeavor. He represents the highest qualities of an advocate for the voice of business in California.”

Waronek served as the mayor of Lomita from 2002-06. Since 2003, Waronek has organized the annual Leadership Torrance class introductory trip to Sacramento, which includes arranging key meetings with various legislators. In May 2008, he organized the first-ever delegation of City of Torrance officials and chamber of commerce leaders on an exploratory and lobbying trip to Sacramento. Specifically, the groups met to discuss the potential “transit center in Torrance,” which was an issue in common for both the chamber and the city. For the last two years, Waronek also has served on the Board of Governors of the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee (TACC-PAC). His political background provided insight into fundraising for the TACC-PAC and has helped the PAC take its efforts to a new level. Over the last five years, Waronek has testified on business issues in Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles and the South Bay — including efforts to save the Los Angeles Air Force Base during the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) hearing, as well as the 310 area code issue — that directly affect the business community.

“Women Helping Women” Luncheon A Great Success!

By Ana de Alba
Board member, Fresno County Women Lawyers

A call to action heard loud and clear in the legal community was answered last month during the Fresno County Women Lawyers’ “Women Helping Women” luncheon. The luncheon featured speakers Jenny Bates, Director of The Hacienda Drug/Alcohol Rehabilitation Center for Women and Deborah Torres, Director of Samaritan Women. The speakers shared stories of how their organizations help women who have been incarcerated get back on their feet. Those attending the luncheon were asked to donate career clothing, toiletries, postage stamps, and bus tokens to help these wonderful organizations improve the lives of the women they serve. Generating donations for both organizations, FCWL members took up the call to action and made the luncheon an amazing success.

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Thoughts on Music: DRM, iTunes and the iPod

by Steve Jobs
www.apple.com

February 6, 2007: With the stunning global success of Apple’s iPod music player and iTunes online music store, some have called for Apple to “open” the digital rights management (DRM) system that Apple uses to protect its music against theft, so that music purchased from iTunes can be played on digital devices purchased from other companies, and protected music purchased from other online music stores can play on iPods. Let’s examine the current situation and how we got here, then look at three possible alternatives for the future.

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US Senate Introduces Strong Privacy Bill

by Vidura Panditaratne
Press Esc

February 7, 2007: US Senators yesterday introduced a bill that better protects the privacy of citizens’ personal information in the face of data security breaches across the country.

Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) co-sponsored the Personal Data Privacy and Security Act, which was first introduced in 2005 with co-sponsorship from Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) following serious data breaches at ChoicePoint and LexisNexis.

Senator Specter, who is the Ranking Member on the panel, is co-sponsoring the bill again this Congress.

Since then breaches at several other firms and within state and federal governments have exposed millions of Americans to identity theft by leaking or losing their personal data, which included names, addresses, and sometimes Social Security numbers.

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The Power of Apology

by Michael T. Hertz
Lang, Richert & Patch

A few months back, Playboy magazine ran a cover, showing Jessica Alba. Alba, miffed at the unauthorized use of her photo, threatened to sue. In response, Hugh Hefner, Playboy’s founder, wrote a personal letter of apology, and the magazine made donations to two charities which Alba supports. Result? Alba decided to drop her claims against the magazine.

What a wonderful result for everyone. Ms. Alba got her grievance recognized, some deserving charities got money, and we were all spared the cost and silliness of yet another unnecessary lawsuit. We bet you didn’t know that Mr. Hefner’s apology took some courage. If Ms. Alba had decided to sue, she would have been free to argue that the apology was an admission of fault. So a gracious gesture would have been turned into a lawyer’s bludgeon. (As attorneys, we would take a certain amount of umbrage at such a tactic, even though it’s perfectly legal).

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Firm Sponsors Community Food Bank

Lang, Richert & Patch is pleased to announce that it has teamed up with Community Food Bank as one of its primary corporate sponsors. The Food Bank has been preventing hunger and malnutrition throughout the Central Valley since 1992. Community Food Bank is currently partnered with over 160 local agencies which directly serve 80,000 people each month. These agencies include food pantries, residential shelters, community kitchens, and adult and child day care centers and before and after school programs.

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